Schüsselkarspitze attempt

Published on 2010-5-24 by Michael Stanton

Schüsselkarspitze attempt

May 24, 2010

Finally, good weather in the Alps! Alexander had an ambitious plan to storm the high "kamm" of the Wetterstein. We hiked up the Puittal to find heavy snow at the base of the mountain. Another hour of step kicking got us to the base of the Messner/Sint route. Along the way we were entertained by dramatic falls of snow, including a big chunk of cornice from the summit. Gulp.

Alexander led out on a mighty attempt to storm the first pitch. But the rock was weeping with water from many snowpatches, making things very insecure. The climb was completely on gear and there were a few tense moments. But he was able to downclimb from his high point. We skedaddled out of there before more avalanche and rockfall could ruin the rest of the day.

Oh well, we got some good hiking in, and the route does look super. Here is Alex: